12 Must-Read September Children’s Book Releases

Magnolia Flower by Zora Neale Hurston, Ibram X. Kendi, & Loveis Wise (September 6; HarperCollins)

Ibram X. Kendi (How to beryllium an Antiracist) adapts 1 of Zora Neale Hurston’s abbreviated stories successful this stunning representation publication astir the transcendent powerfulness of love. Magnolia Flower is the kid of parents who survived the Trail of Tears and slavery. When she falls successful emotion with a poor, formerly enslaved person, her begetter forbids their marriage. But Magnolia Flower knows the champion mode to unrecorded is to travel her heart, truthful she and her person instrumentality a vessel betwixt trees and find different spot to unrecorded wherever they volition beryllium accepted. Decades later, Magnolia and her hubby revisit her aged home, peculiarly the 3 trees wherever their emotion archetypal bloomed.

Over and Under the Waves by Kate Messner & Christopher Silas Neal (September 13; Chronicle Books)

I adore this nonfiction bid astir nature, which I judge present has six books successful it. This latest installment depicts the quality of the oversea with a household kayaking implicit the waves. Beneath the waves, schools of metallic food aquatics by, leopard sharks prowl, and an octopus blends successful with rocks. Above the waves, humpback whales interruption the surface, kelp floats by, and shorebirds sing. The kid and their parents observe it all. The backmost substance gives much accusation astir the oversea beingness depicted successful the illustrations.

Thank you for signing up! Keep an oculus connected your inbox.

By signing up you hold to our terms of use

Beatrice Likes the Dark by April Genevieve Tucholke & Khoa Le (September 13; Algonquin Young Readers)

This is Algonquin Young Readers’ archetypal foray into representation books, and it is simply a stunningly beauteous publication astir sisterhood. Sisters Beatrice and Roo could not beryllium much different. Beatrice loves bats, wearing black, spiders, and particularly night. While having picnics astatine a graveyard successful the mediate of the nighttime sounds utterly charming to Beatrice, it’s a nightmare for Roo. Roo loves wearing agleam colors — similar pink! — investigating flowers, picking strawberries, and particularly waking up aboriginal and enjoying the sun. She’d overmuch alternatively person a picnic successful her treehouse. The sisters often glare astatine 1 another. But erstwhile Roo has a nightmare, Beatrice shows her however to bask the night, and the adjacent time Roo shows Beatrice determination are things to admit astir the day. Despite their differences, they are sisters, and sisters instrumentality together. Khoa Le is 1 of my favourite children’s publication illustrators, and it’s intolerable to ideate this representation publication illustrated successful immoderate different way. It’s perfection from commencement to finish.

Bubbie & Rivka’s Best-Ever Challah (So Far!) by Sarah Reul (September 20; Abrams Books for Young Readers)

In this delightful Jewish intergenerational representation book, a grandma and granddaughter effort to marque challah together. Despite being mediocre bakers, Bubbie and Rivka are determined to marque the cleanable challah. Every Friday, they effort a caller recipe, but portion they person a blast cooking and playing together, their challah inevitably comes retired little than perfect. In fact, it’s often inedible. But with tons of proceedings and error, they yet win successful making the best-ever challah. I’m ever present for representation books that stress enjoying the process implicit the extremity result, and this publication does that truthful well.

Hey Bruce! An Interactive Book by Ryan T. Higgins (September 20; Disney-Hyperion)

Ryan T. Higgins writes immoderate of the funniest representation books ever. My girl and I person laughed until we cried with each publication successful the Bruce series, which begins with Mother Bruce (though they tin beryllium work successful immoderate order). Hey Bruce! is the archetypal interactive publication successful the series, and fto maine conscionable say, it’s a blast. Interactive representation books are my daughter’s favorites. If you person a kid from 3-6 oregon thatch children betwixt those ages, you person to effort interactive representation books with them if you haven’t already. In this one, the mice Rupert, Thistle, and Nibbs invitation the scholar to person immoderate amusive with Bruce, a grumpy carnivore who, nonetheless, has a large brushed bosom and a ample mixed-species household arsenic a result.

Still This Love Goes On by Buffy Sainte-Marie & Julie Flett (September 27; Greystone Kids)

Based connected the song by award-winning Indigenous instrumentalist Buffy Sainte-Marie, this beauteous representation publication celebrates familial emotion and nature. The illustrations by Cree-Métis writer and illustrator Julie Flett are gorgeous and joyous, from a kid moving done a tract of agleam yellowish summertime flowers to jingle dancers dancing to soaring songs. I privation to framework immoderate of these! Sheet euphony to the opus is included successful the back. This would marque a beauteous acquisition to a caller parent.

Iveliz Explains It All by Andrea Beatriz Arango (September 13; Random House Books for Young Readers)

I listened to the audiobook of this mediate people successful verse narrated by Raquel Merediz successful a azygous sitting and felt earthy and profoundly moved afterward. It’s gorgeously written, astir a young Puerto Rican miss surviving connected the mainland and opening mediate school. Iveliz has PTSD and slump aft her begetter died successful a car clang portion she was present, and she struggles with choler and being contiguous and often finds herself missing memories. She’s besides hallucinating her father. When her abuela with Alzheimer’s comes to unrecorded with Iveliz and her mother, she’s astatine archetypal comforted by her presence. But her abuela’s ridicule of Iveliz’s medicine and therapy sends her spiraling. Iveliz’s intelligence wellness and therapy experiences are portrayed truthful well. It’s a almighty book.

The Vanderbeekers connected the Road by Karina Yan Glaser (September 20; Clarion Books)

In the sixth publication successful the Vanderbeekers series, which begins with The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street, the Vanderbeeker household goes connected a roadworthy travel to observe their dad’s fortieth birthday. From New York to California successful a van with 9 radical and 4 animals — thing could spell wrong, right? Ha! The car breaks down connected the mode to prime up their dada from a enactment travel successful Indiana. Then the oldest siblings privation to circuit colleges successful California portion there, but the younger ones aren’t acceptable for their siblings to determination truthful acold oregon permission the family. The household has to face changing household dynamics connected the trip, but they besides person tons of amusive and adventures.

The Vanquishers by Kalynn Bayron (September 20; Bloomsbury Children’s Books)

I emotion Kalynn Bayron’s young big novels (This Poison Heart, Cinderella is Dead), and The Vanquishers, her mediate people debut, is conscionable arsenic overmuch of a blast. San Antonio mediate schoolhouse BFFs Boog, Cedrick, and Jules are agreed successful their tendency to support their parents’ obsession with protecting against vampires a secret. Even though everyone knows the Vanquishers eliminated the past of the vampires decades ago, their parents conscionable don’t get it. When the radical befriends caller kid Aaron and the school’s guidance counsellor starts acting a spot odd, their parents spell connected afloat vampire alert. And, to beryllium honest, Boog and her friends bash consciousness that thing mightiness beryllium a spot off. But could it beryllium that vampires person returned? This is the cleanable paranormal mediate people to work for the fall.

Killer Underwear Invasion!: How to Spot Fake News, Disinformation & Conspiracy Theories by Elise Gravel (September 20;  Chronicle Books)

This mediate people graphic nonfiction is an ingenious instauration to media literacy for kids. Using wit and ace amusive illustrations, writer and illustrator Elise Gravel shows however kids tin spot fake quality and conspiracy theories. This is simply a indispensable successful today’s quality cycle, wherever truthful overmuch implicit nonsense is passed disconnected arsenic news. I utilized to thatch introductory probe and penning to assemblage Freshmen, and if this publication had existed then, I astir apt would’ve had them work it! At the aforesaid time, my 4-year-old enjoyed speechmaking excerpts for the illustrations and silly jokes. It’s a truly fantastic, accessible instauration that would enactment large successful mediate schoolhouse classrooms.

Haven Jacobs Saves the Planet by Barbara Dee (September 27; Aladdin)

In this modern mediate grade, Haven Jacobs has eco-anxiety. Climate alteration could perchance destruct the planet, yet it seems similar nary of the adults attraction capable to bash thing astir it. Haven is not the benignant of idiosyncratic to beryllium quiescent erstwhile thing is troubling her. But what tin she do? How tin 1 person, particularly a kid, marque immoderate benignant of meaningful alteration to assistance the environment? Her societal studies teacher suggests she deliberation small. Maybe she can’t destruct clime alteration globally, but she could absorption connected the community. When her subject people begins studying the stream that runs done the tiny town, Haven and the remainder of the people commencement noticing tons of problems. The frogs are gone, and they find harmful chemicals erstwhile they trial the water. While Haven can’t lick clime change, possibly she tin assistance the stream successful her community. This mediate people has large anxiousness representation, and I loved however it showed kids taking enactment against clime alteration connected a section level and that it takes a process to initiate change. One enactment isn’t enough. The audiobook narrated by Mehr Dudeja is excellent.

The Door of No Return by Kwame Alexander (September 27; Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)

This lyrical humanities mediate people successful verse takes spot successful 19th period Ghana. Eleven-year-old Kofi loves swimming, his family, and the miss Ama, whom helium has a crush on. He hopes to impressment her successful an upcoming swimming contest, but earlier the swimming contest, his member participates successful a wrestling contention during a festival. Kofi’s beingness turns upside down erstwhile his member accidentally kills his opponent. Then enslaved traders invade his village. This archetypal publication successful a planned trilogy is simply a almighty and indispensable read.